The fifth season of ''
Parks and Recreation
''Parks and Recreation'' (also known as ''Parks and Rec'') is an American political satire mockumentary sitcom television series created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. The series aired on NBC from April 9, 2009, to February 24, 2015, for 125 ...
'' originally aired in the United States on the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
television network, from September 20, 2012 and concluded on May 2, 2013. This season consisted of 22 episodes. It stars
Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler (; born September 16, 1971) is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy trou ...
,
Rashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones (; born February 25, 1976) is an American actress.
Jones appeared as Louisa Fenn on the Fox drama series ''Boston Public'' (2000–2002), as Karen Filippelli on the NBC comedy series ''The Office'' (2006–2009; 2011), and as ...
,
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ismail Ansari (; born February 23, 1983) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is known for his role as Tom Haverford on the NBC series ''Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015) and as creator and star of the Netflix series ''Master ...
,
Nick Offerman
Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, writer, comedian, producer, and carpenter. He is best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'', for which he received the Television Critics A ...
,
Aubrey Plaza
Aubrey Christina Plaza (born June 26, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She began her career performing improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. She starred as April Ludgate on the NBC sitcom '' Par ...
,
Chris Pratt
Christopher Michael Pratt (born June 21, 1979) is an American actor. He rose to prominence for playing Andy Dwyer in the NBC sitcom '' Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015). He also appeared in The WB drama series ''Everwood'' (2002–2006) an ...
,
Adam Scott, and
Rob Lowe
Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and podcast host. He made his acting debut at the age of 15 with ABC's short-lived sitcom ''A New Kind of Family'' (1979–1980). Following numerous television roles in ...
, with supporting performances from
Jim O'Heir
Jim O'Heir (born February 4, 1962) is an American actor and comedian, perhaps best known for portraying Jerry Gergich on the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation''.
O'Heir first became active in Chicago theater and improv during the late 1980s and ...
and
Retta
Marietta Sirleaf,Jung, E. Alex Vulture.com, May 23, 2018. rchived https://web.archive.org/web/20180523214634/https://www.vulture.com/2018/05/retta-has-a-story-to-tell.htmlon 05-23-2018 .
Season 5 focuses on
Leslie Knope
Leslie Barbara Knope ( ) is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation''. She is portrayed by Amy Poehler. For most of the show's run, she serves as deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Departm ...
(
Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler (; born September 16, 1971) is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy trou ...
) and her staff at the parks and recreation department of the fictional Indiana town of Pawnee. Although not having an overarching storyline like Season 4, this season details the aftermath of Leslie's role as a Councilwoman in Pawnee, and her rivalry with councilman Jeremy Jamm (
Jon Glaser
Jonathan Daniel Glaser (born June 20, 1968) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for his work as a writer and sketch performer for many years on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', creating and starring in the Adult Swim s ...
). Other storylines include
Ben Wyatt (
Adam Scott) and
April Ludgate
April Roberta Ludgate-Dwyer, née Ludgate, (portrayed by Aubrey Plaza) is a fictional character in the NBC comedy ''Parks and Recreation''. She is first seen as an apathetic college student working as an intern in the Pawnee Department of Parks ...
(
Aubrey Plaza
Aubrey Christina Plaza (born June 26, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She began her career performing improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. She starred as April Ludgate on the NBC sitcom '' Par ...
)'s career move to Washington D.C.,
Ann Perkins
Ann Meredith Perkins, RN, portrayed by Rashida Jones, is a fictional character in the NBC comedy ''Parks and Recreation''. She is a nurse and Leslie Knope's best friend.
Storyline
Season 1
At the start of the series, Ann Perkins is living wit ...
(
Rashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones (; born February 25, 1976) is an American actress.
Jones appeared as Louisa Fenn on the Fox drama series ''Boston Public'' (2000–2002), as Karen Filippelli on the NBC comedy series ''The Office'' (2006–2009; 2011), and as ...
)'s attempts to get pregnant, the progress in Ben and Leslie's relationship, Andy's attempts at becoming a police officer, and
Ron Swanson
Ronald Ulysses Swanson is a fictional character portrayed by Nick Offerman from the situation comedy television series ''Parks and Recreation'' on NBC, created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. In the series, Ron is the director of the Parks and ...
(
Nick Offerman
Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, writer, comedian, producer, and carpenter. He is best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'', for which he received the Television Critics A ...
) meeting single mother
Diane (
Lucy Lawless
Lucille Frances Lawless (; born 29 March 1968) is a New Zealand actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Xena in the television series '' Xena: Warrior Princess'', as D'Anna Biers on the re-imagined '' Battlestar Galactica'' seri ...
).
Cast
Main
*
Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler (; born September 16, 1971) is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy trou ...
as
Leslie Knope
Leslie Barbara Knope ( ) is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation''. She is portrayed by Amy Poehler. For most of the show's run, she serves as deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Departm ...
, is a council woman for the town of Pawnee, with a strong love of her home town, who has not let politics dampen her sense of optimism; her ultimate goal is to become
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
. Poehler departed from the NBC sketch comedy series ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'', where she was a cast member for nearly seven years, to star in ''Parks and Recreation''.
It was only after she was cast that Daniels and Schur established the general concept of the show and the script for the pilot was written.
*
Rashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones (; born February 25, 1976) is an American actress.
Jones appeared as Louisa Fenn on the Fox drama series ''Boston Public'' (2000–2002), as Karen Filippelli on the NBC comedy series ''The Office'' (2006–2009; 2011), and as ...
as
Ann Perkins
Ann Meredith Perkins, RN, portrayed by Rashida Jones, is a fictional character in the NBC comedy ''Parks and Recreation''. She is a nurse and Leslie Knope's best friend.
Storyline
Season 1
At the start of the series, Ann Perkins is living wit ...
, a nurse and political outsider who becomes Leslie's best friend and also becomes more involved in Pawnee government through her friendship with Leslie.
*
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ismail Ansari (; born February 23, 1983) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is known for his role as Tom Haverford on the NBC series ''Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015) and as creator and star of the Netflix series ''Master ...
as
Tom Haverford
Thomas Montgomery Haverford (born Darwish Sabir Ismail Ghani) is a fictional character on the NBC series ''Parks and Recreation''. He is a sarcastic, underachieving government official for the city of Pawnee who—in his own mind—is revered for ...
, Leslie's sarcastic and underachieving subordinate who seeks to present himself as extremely hip and trendy and always has a scheme in the works.
*
Nick Offerman
Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, writer, comedian, producer, and carpenter. He is best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'', for which he received the Television Critics A ...
as
Ron Swanson
Ronald Ulysses Swanson is a fictional character portrayed by Nick Offerman from the situation comedy television series ''Parks and Recreation'' on NBC, created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. In the series, Ron is the director of the Parks and ...
, the deadpan parks and recreation director who, as a libertarian, believes in as small a government as possible. As such, Ron strives to make his department as ineffective as possible, and favors hiring employees who do not care about their jobs or are poor at them.
Nevertheless, Ron consistently demonstrates that he secretly cares deeply about his fellow co-workers.
*
Aubrey Plaza
Aubrey Christina Plaza (born June 26, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She began her career performing improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. She starred as April Ludgate on the NBC sitcom '' Par ...
as
April Ludgate
April Roberta Ludgate-Dwyer, née Ludgate, (portrayed by Aubrey Plaza) is a fictional character in the NBC comedy ''Parks and Recreation''. She is first seen as an apathetic college student working as an intern in the Pawnee Department of Parks ...
, a cynical and uninterested parks department intern who eventually becomes the perfect assistant for Ron, but leaves the department with Ben Wyatt.
*
Chris Pratt
Christopher Michael Pratt (born June 21, 1979) is an American actor. He rose to prominence for playing Andy Dwyer in the NBC sitcom '' Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015). He also appeared in The WB drama series ''Everwood'' (2002–2006) an ...
as
Andy Dwyer
Andrew Maxwell Dwyer KBE () is a fictional character in the NBC comedy ''Parks and Recreation'' portrayed by Chris Pratt. Originally meant to be a temporary character, Andy was so likable that producers asked Pratt back as a series regular. H ...
, a goofy and dim-witted but lovable
slacker
A slacker is someone who habitually avoids work or lacks work ethic.
Origin
According to different sources, the term ''slacker'' dates back to about 1790 or 1898. "Slacker" gained some recognition during the British Gezira Scheme in the early t ...
; he is April's husband.
*
Adam Scott as
Ben Wyatt, Leslie's boyfriend, and later husband, who leaves Pawnee for
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, to join a political campaign.
*
Rob Lowe
Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and podcast host. He made his acting debut at the age of 15 with ABC's short-lived sitcom ''A New Kind of Family'' (1979–1980). Following numerous television roles in ...
as
Chris Traeger
Christopher "Chris" Traeger is a fictional character played by Rob Lowe on the NBC comedy series ''Parks and Recreation''. He began on the show as an Indiana State Auditor who visits the fictional city of Pawnee to help solve their crippling bud ...
, an excessively positive and extremely health-conscious government official.
Starring
*
Jim O'Heir
Jim O'Heir (born February 4, 1962) is an American actor and comedian, perhaps best known for portraying Jerry Gergich on the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation''.
O'Heir first became active in Chicago theater and improv during the late 1980s and ...
as
Jerry Gergich
Garry Gergich, also known as Jerry, Larry or Terry, is a fictional character in the TV series ''Parks and Recreation'', portrayed by Jim O'Heir. The character has appeared in every episode of the series, with the exception of the first-season epis ...
, a sweet-natured but painfully incompetent longtime city employee who is the main target of the office's petty unkindness, yet enjoys his life as the husband of a gorgeous woman and the father of three beautiful daughters.
*
Retta
Marietta Sirleaf,Jung, E. Alex Vulture.com, May 23, 2018. rchived https://web.archive.org/web/20180523214634/https://www.vulture.com/2018/05/retta-has-a-story-to-tell.htmlon 05-23-2018 as
Donna Meagle
Donna Marie Meagle is a fictional character in the NBC comedy ''Parks and Recreation''. She is portrayed by Retta and has appeared in the show since the pilot. For the first two seasons of the show she appeared as a recurring character; she be ...
, a no-nonsense administrative assistant in the department, who comes from a wealthy family, and frequently mentions her many boyfriends, both past and present.
Production
Filming
Portions of the season premiere "Ms. Knope Goes to Washington" and later episode "Leslie vs. April" were shot in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
in July 2012.
These episodes featured cameo appearances from senators
Barbara Boxer
Barbara Sue Boxer (née Levy; born November 11, 1940) is an American politician and lobbyist who served in the United States Senate, representing California from 1993 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the U.S. ...
,
Olympia Snowe
Olympia Jean Snowe (; born February 21, 1947) is an American businesswoman and politician who was a United States Senator from Maine from 1995 to 2013. Snowe, a member of the Republican Party, became known for her ability to influence the outcom ...
and
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...
, and then Vice President
Joe Biden.
The tenth episode of the season, "Two Parties", featured scenes shot in
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
at
Lucas Oil Stadium
Lucas Oil Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It replaced the RCA Dome as the home field of the National Football League (NFL)'s Indianapolis Colts and opened on August 16, 2008. The stadium was ...
and
St. Elmo Steak House
St. Elmo Steak House is a restaurant in the Wholesale District of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1902, it is the oldest steakhouse in Indianapolis. Its specialty shrimp cocktail has earned wide recognition in the American culina ...
in December 2012.
This episode included cameos from
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
players
Andrew Luck
Andrew Austen Luck (born September 12, 1989) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. One of the most highly touted amateur prospects during his c ...
and
Reggie Wayne
Reginald Wayne (born November 17, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver who played 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Miami, and was drafted ...
and owner
Jim Irsay
James Irsay (born June 13, 1959) is an American businessman, known for being the principal owner, chairman and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL).
Irsay's father, Robert Irsay, built a fortune estimated to be o ...
,
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...
players
Miles Plumlee and
Roy Hibbert
Roy Denzil Hibbert (born December 11, 1986) is a Jamaican-American former professional basketball player. He is a two-time NBA All-Star, and earned NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors in 2014. Hibbert was the runner-up for the NBA Defensive Play ...
,
and
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy Gingrich (; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U ...
.
Writing
The fourteenth episode of the season, "Leslie and Ben", was initially written to serve as the season finale of a 13-episode run as the writers were unsure how many episodes would be commissioned. Eventually, 22 were ordered and the episode "Women in Garbage" was shown earlier in the schedule despite being written as one of the season's "back nine".
Episodes
denotes an extended episode.
Reception
![Joe and Jill Biden with cast members from Parks and Rec](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Joe_and_Jill_Biden_with_cast_members_from_Parks_and_Rec.jpg)
The fifth season of ''Parks and Recreation'' received highly positive reviews. On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the season has a 95% approval rating with an average score of 8.72 out of 10 based on 21 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Heartfelt yet hilarious and snarky yet good-natured, ''Parks and Recreation'' remains one of the best sitcoms around and only continues to improve.
Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler (; born September 16, 1971) is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy trou ...
received her fourth consecutive nomination for the
.
References
External links
Official ''Parks and Recreation'' siteat
NBC.com
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
*
{{TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy
5
2012 American television seasons
2013 American television seasons